After graduating Julie spent some time as principal bassoon with the Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet Orchestra before embarking on a highly successful freelance career.

Julie has performed as a soloist throughout the UK and in Summer 2000 completed a highly successful Duo tour in South East Asia with her husband Richard Skinner.

Her solo recordings of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto and Sinfonia Concertante, and of Richard Strauss' Duo Concertante have received especial acclaim and have been issued on award winning discs. As a chamber musician, Julie has performed at the BBC Proms, the Aldeburgh and Cheltenham Festivals and internationally with the Haffner Wind Ensemble. She has also made many broadcasts and recordings with the Endymion Ensemble. She is Principal Bassoon with the London Metropolitan Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia and plays on a freelance basis with many orchestras and chamber groups.

Julie is actively involved as a player of commercial music. Her playing can be heard on the soundtracks of many TV series and feature films including 'Band of Brothers', 'Rugrats in Paris', 'The World is Not Enough', 'The Beach', 'Chicken Run', 'The Mummy', 'The Hollow Man', 'Sleepy Hollow' and 'Bless the Child'.